alright, lookit. we're back from atlanta, had a great time, drank lots of coffee (everybody but me got a little queasy on the first day - some people just don't know how to hold their 'spro). we also petted a hammerhead, and saw whale sharks, nurse sharks, tiger sharks, catfish and octopi at the georgia aqarium.

if you just want to know about the world barista championship, instead of reading the rest of this blog, which is kinda random and low budget, check out this site, which is informative and slick. here's what the wbc looked like from the nosebleeds:


here's what we looked like at the beginning of the trip:




after a while, we got tired. especially kim.


before the trip was over, we drank coffee with this guy:


and this guy:


it's kinda hard to tell, but that's james hoffman, the 2007 world barista champion, and justin in the background. james hoffman was really nice. at the competition, he made matthew and i a version of his signature drink from the 2007 british nationals. it tasted like krispy kreme donuts, because that was the main ingredient. i was a little conflicted.

on the way home, we looked like this:


that's not the camera blurring the image. matthew had actually had that much espresso. he's like a hummingbird. kim was obviously suffering from a caffeine headache, and jiminey was coping with it all by texting.

here's the final standings of the wbc:

1st place, Gwilym Davies, United Kingdom. he lives on a boat in london with his dog, and runs two coffee carts. how cool is that?
2nd place, Sammy Piccolo, Canada. this was his third wbc performance.
3rd place, Michael Phillips, United States. the u.s. is always coming in third in these things. except the one year heather perry came in second. michael phillips was super cool, though.
4th. Colin Harmon, Ireland
5th. Lee Jong Hoon, Korea
6th. Attila Molnar, Hungary. best name ever.

ok, that's all i got. thanks to james and the crew for holding it down at the shop, and thanks to all of you for drinking coffee. you'll never know how much it means to us.

(nat)

Sb's BARISTA VACATION & TRAINING!

From
Wednesday afternoon of this week through Sunday night, your usual and
favorite BARISTAS will be kickin' it in the ATL for the WBC and the
SCAA show (uh.. atlanta, world barista
championships, specialty coffee assoc of America).  You will, however,
be treated to what we affectionately call the "DREAMTEAM!", not to be
confused with "B?" team, a finely groomed team of capable ex-brownies..
plus James who's staying to keep stuff rockin' and rampin', and Thomas,
who's gonna learn knockin' and tampin'.  
So, remember 3 things:

1. The baristas of Sb's will return bigger, better, and brighter than ever
   
2. Please be nice to the DREAMTEAM!
3. Try
   the ETHIOPIA YIRG./ IDIDO MISTY VALLEY (rockstar coffee!) as a single
   origin espresso, a cappuccino, or on drip!   (only this week!)

*And, you can follow us on Twitter @justinbarnard

i know it's spring break and everything, but if you missed the trollies/listener show tonight, you're lame. sorry to break that news to you in the form of a blog, yo.

seriously. tamar was at south by southwest all week, and she was like, "that's the best show i've seen all week." and one of her arms is entirely covered in tattoos, so she knows a thing or two about music, y'all. thanks to dan smith, and thanks to everyone who threw money into the tip jar, since it was a free show. i'm just saying - we've been doing live music 3-4 times a week for like five years now. thanks for supporting loco music.

good job.

(nat)

new menus - check 'em. there are one or two small changes, including the removal of the caramel macchiato (not that legit, frankly), and the addition of the espresso macchiato (possibly a little too legit, in the hammer sense). the aspen latte is under new management, with real maple syrup (that's right, y'all)... and, we're sort of slowly remodeling the whole store to go with the menus, 'cause we don't have enough to do around here.

also, please do check out this month's art. our good friend aaron farris took a trip down to managua, nicaragua recently. these photos are from a community of people living in managua's garbage dump.

all the proceeds from the sales go to a group called project chacocente. you can pick up one of the prints at the counter.

(nat)

new rockstar coffee: el salvador santa ana (region) finca alaska (farm) bourbon (coffee varietal - bourbon is typically sweet and fruity). available only in french press.

this coffee is vacuum sealed in el salvador before it's shipped or roasted, so it's super fresh. the following is an excerpt from an email conversation i had with aaron blanco, our good pal and roaster:

"The vacseal action definitely helps, in my opinion, though some people will say the jury is still out on it. I'm a believer in it, definitely, especially done in country. That's a huge win for coffee. Jute [burlap] is just an awful compromise.

Fun fact: El Salvador (like Rwanda) is one of those countries that is predominantly heirloom trees due to the civil unrest they experienced a couple decades ago, when hybridized plants were becoming all the rage and countries were replacing heirlooms with higher yield, more boring tasting seeds. Guerrilla wars are not really times when people care as much about the latest agronomical fads. Today El Salvador is stable and they have amazing Bourbon trees around."

there you have it. this is a really naturally sweet coffee with just enough brightness (acidity), and some subtle fruit tones. you can check out more info at
http://coffeehunter.com/site.php?use=coffee_northamerica_welcome_profile&profile_id=112

in addition to the finca alaska, we've got another el salvador coffee from a farm called finca las nubes (they were a cup of excellence finalist in 03 - www.cupofexcellence.org ). it's from the sonsonate region, and it's mighty tasty as well.

(nat)

OK!
If you're a Sb's fan, friend or foe.. you must come to this!
It will be fun.
* Awesome live jazz band playing Christmas classics
* Bring a white elephant gift ($5) to exchange with someone else
* Dress up!
* Free Ghirardelli chocolate fountain, plus cookies, & more
* Be a part of the first one ever!!

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT, DEC. 12th, from 7-10pm
$5 at the door

peace!

About This Month's Single Origin Coffees at Sb's::

* Brasil Mogiana (region)
* Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama (farm name) / Peaberry (bean shape)
* Pulped-Natural (drying process)
* From the Roaster – Brown Coffee Co.:
Superbly built in the classic Brasil style, with a creamy base and underlying sweetness of macadamia, Brasil nuts and a present, milky black tea character. Cools into vanilla and sweet cream tones.
* Cup of Excellence finalist 2005, 2006.
* UTZ certified (The UTZ CERTIFIED program provides the assurance of responsible coffee production and sourcing that coffee drinkers expect.)

* Guatemla Huehuetenango (region)
* Finca Vista Hermosa, El Eden Lot (farm name, lot name)
* From the Roaster – Brown Coffee Co.:
Our fourth year partnering with this amazing farm and family. New crop arrives soon and we expect the same delicate, fruited acidity we have come to love from this coffee. Get in the loop on what's happening on the cutting edge of quality in Guatemala. Cup of Excellence finalist 2007.
* Current and interesting farm information at www.fincavistahermosa.com

* Papua New Guinea Western Highlands (region)
* Madan Estate (AA)
* From the Roaster – Brown Coffee Co.:
A change of pace from the ordinary. This coffee is deep, brooding and spicy with hints of cloves and cocoa and a lingering aftertaste that is heavy but not muddy. Full of depth and deep-toned sweetness.
* Farm info at: http://www.newguineatraders.com/madan.php

Check 'em out!

So, the next time you're driving north through Plainview, which is basically every time you're driving north, do be sure to check out the new Broadway Brew. They're located at 108 W 7th st (just take the Business I27 exit to the middle of town, and you're only a couple blocks away). I happen to know for a fact that they pull really great shots of espresso.


Also, for those of you who somehow missed it, Night Ranger recently made an appearance at the South Plains Fair. They totally came into Sugar Brown's beforehand, and they totally bought one of our shirts. We'll probably get represented the next time VH1 features them on "I Love The 80's". It'll be awesome.

(nat)

this is the last week we'll be carrying our ethiopia yirgacheffe gedeo from the brown coffee co! seriously, this is the best coffee we've ever offered, and it's yours in a french press for just 3.95 for one more week.

this coffee is fair trade and organic, with a really well-balanced sweetness and lots of natural berry flavor. be sure to taste it straight before you add any cream or sugar. it will literally make you a rock star.

for those who dig the french press experience, you can also sample any of our other sweet-daddy coffees for 2.89.

and don't forget, we're still offering the goody two-shoes hot or iced for our calorie-conscious clientele. best tasting sugar free latte you've ever had. ever.

(nat)

so, we just got a little more legit by switching over to 100% growth hormone free milk for all our lattes and cappuccinos. we're still using organically grown coffee and espresso; and now, we've switched from our generic chocolate sauce to ghirardelli brand chocolate for all our hot and cold mochas.

just for fun, i figured out the nutritional info on a medium (16 oz) regular hot mocha:

calories: 230
fat: 5g
saturated fat: 3g
carbohydrates: 31g

then i compared that to the nutritional info on a 16 oz starbucks mocha:

calories: 330
fat: 15g
saturated fat: 8g
carbohydrates: 43g

there you have it. not only is your favorite local coffee shop committed to bringing you the best tasting espresso and coffee in lubbock; not only are we committed to fair trade and environmentally sustainable growing; we're also committed to not killing you with heart disease while you drink our lattes.

(nat)